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FTT face to face hearings
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Mental Health WR & Debt Advice Service, Tameside MBC
Total Posts: 43
Joined: 17 June 2010
I just wondered if anyone has had a face to face FTT hearing during Covid?
We have a client who had a telephone hearing which then got adjourned with the judge directing a face to face hearing (for various reasons). I’m unclear on whether this will now be arranged in the usual timescales, with social distancing measures put in place, or whether it will be put on ice for some future date.
forum member
Welfare Rights, Drumchapel Citizens Advice Bureau, Glasgow
Total Posts: 11
Joined: 22 January 2016
No, not at all in Glasgow, for us anyway.
My first round of hearings listed for April were all postponed but have since taken place via conference call.
I’ve not had any provisional decisions either.
Someone from the Tribunal Centre Glasgow told me that a return to F2F hearings in September may be on the cards.
Susan
Just had sight of this saying that some will be resuming in the Midlands in August/September…
File Attachments
- RESUMPTION_OF_HEARINGS_-_REPRESENTATIVES_-_18.8.2020.pdf (File Size: 116KB - Downloads: 1710)
forum member
Senior welfare rights officer - Salford City Council Welfare Rights Service
Total Posts: 3141
Joined: 17 June 2010
Hi Janine,
There are no plans for HMCTS to routinely run any face to face hearings in the North West during the remainder of 2020. Upon resumption the need for the various precautions means they will likely run at 50% capacity given the need to clean between hearings etc. In the meantime, face to face can run in the most exceptional of circumstances where other alternatives are not appropriate and HMCTS have laid those out in very broad terms in their guidance. It assumes that venues have been able to provide a room where both the appellant, PO, clerk and panel can all be fully socially distanced.
So, you need to check if the client fits the exceptional circumstances and whether your local venue (or possibly somewhere else within GM) is good to go.
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The Brunswick Centre, Kirklees & Calderdale
Total Posts: 1366
Joined: 22 July 2013
Mike, I had heard that 01 Hearings (judge sitting alone) are going to start again soon in the North West. Is this not correct? I know that some judges have been back working in Manchester for a while (without actually seeing people)
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Senior welfare rights officer - Salford City Council Welfare Rights Service
Total Posts: 3141
Joined: 17 June 2010
I think salaried 01s have probably been triaging in the CJC as you may as well go where the paperwork is. No impression they’ve been doing it that often though. I think there’s an intent salaried 01s will sit where practicable on the exceptional cases but I doubt there’s much behind that. Building and public transport restrictions are going to cut it to the bare bones.
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Benefit Advisor, HARC East Sussex
Total Posts: 49
Joined: 7 December 2018
In SE England it was taking over 52 weeks to get a hearing before Covid, main court venue still has no face to face hearings. Try this court tracker for the venues you use.
https://courttribunalfinder.service.gov.uk/search/
Of interest, but no clues about when specific courts will re-open is HMCTS recovery plan
Best wishes
Mark
[ Edited: 20 Aug 2020 at 11:12 am by Mkfiftyeight ]Law Cente NI reports that the NI Appeals Service is aiming to commence hearings using technology options from 28 September 2020 and is working towards resuming all face to face hearings although not to the same degree as pre-COVID.